A Partner's Touch
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: Aww, poor Elliot's got the flu... How can Olivia help?


Okay, so I was thinking about this the other day. There are dozens of stories where Olivia gets sick, and Elliot's there to take care of her. But what if Elliot got sick?...

This little story is for onetreefan, Rach, addicted, and my muse, Paige. Thanks, everybody!

Disclaimer: They ain't mine... Who knew?

"Achoo!" A loud sneeze from the desk opposite hers made Olivia look up, and she frowned.

"El, you really need to go home," she said to her partner.

"I'm fine," he insisted for the tenth time that day. She shook her head and returned her attention to her paperwork.

Several minutes later, a coughing fit from her partner made Olivia look up again, and she sighed.

_That's it,_ she thought. Without a word she stood up, walked over to Elliot's desk, and firmly grabbed his arm, tugging him into a standing position. Then, much to Elliot's dismay and Munch and Fin's delight, she dragged him into Cragen's office.

"Cap, Elliot's sick. I'm gonna take him home," she announced.

"Don't bring him back until Monday," Cragen said, not even bothering to look up from his paperwork.

Olivia smiled smugly at Elliot's shock, thanked Cragen, and guided Elliot out of the precinct.

"Get in," she said, climbing into her car. As soon as he shut the door, Olivia started the car and sped out of the parking lot.

"How long have you been like this?" she asked.

"About two weeks."

Keeping her eyes on the road, Olivia reached her right hand out and placed it on Elliot's forehead.

"You've got a fever," she stated, withdrawing her hand and returning it to the steering wheel.

"Liv, I don't want to impose on you, but can we go to your place? Mine's too quiet."

"Yeah, we can go to my place," she answered without a second thought. "But I have to stop at a store first. I need to get some things."

Elliot nodded and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the window.

A few minutes later, Olivia spotted a convenience store, and she quickly pulled into the parking lot. Looking over at her partner, she realized that he had fallen asleep. As quietly as she could, Olivia climbed out of the car and shut the door, locking the doors behind her.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

A half hour later, Olivia walked out of the store and back to the car with several grocery bags in her hands. Since she was single and worked the hours that she did, she never bothered to keep anything other than aspirin in her medicine cabinet.

So she had bought an assortment of medicine, from fever reducers to Benedryl, Gatorade to keep him hydrated, and chicken soup, just in case.

After placing the bags in the backseat of the car, she climbed into the driver's seat, shutting the door as gently as she could. Glancing over at her partner, she saw that he was still asleep, and she smiled, running her fingertips lightly over his forehead. He mumbled unintelligibly before lapsing back into silence, and her smile widened as she pulled her hand away.

This was going to be an interesting weekend.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Later that night, Olivia sat cross-legged on her couch watching reruns of Full House.

When they had arrived at her apartment, she had led Elliot to her bed, and he had fallen asleep, not even stirring when she came in and out of the room to check on him.

As the credits rolled across the screen, Olivia stretched and stood up, scratching the back of her head. _Probably should go check on him,_ she decided, padding into the bedroom.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found her way to the bed, careful not to make any noise. Reaching his side, Olivia reached her hand out and splayed her fingers across his feverish forehead, wincing at the heat radiating from his body.

"Poor guy," she whispered, letting her hand linger for a moment longer before withdrawing it.

But as she pulled her hand away, Elliot stirred restlessly and mumbled softly. Curious, Olivia leaned down closer to his face and listened intently.

"I love you, Liv," he mumbled, sending chills down her spine.

He's delirious, she concluded, watching him shiver slightly. Reaching down to the foot of the bed, she grabbed the extra comforter and pulled it over her partner, touching his forehead again. As soon as her hand settled over his forehead, his shivering stopped, and his breathing seemed easier.

"You've got to have your own way even when you're unconscious, huh?" she whispered, bending down to kiss his forehead before walking back out of the room. At the door, she turned around and smiled tenderly at her unconscious partner.

"Night, El," she whispered before walking out of the room. Back in the living room, Olivia pulled the blanket off of the back of the couch, wrapped it around herself, and settled back onto the couch.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Olivia awoke to the distressed sounds of Elliot retching in her bathroom. Pushing herself up off of the couch, she quickly jogged into the bathroom.

Elliot was hunched over the toilet, shaking violently as another spasm gripped his body. He heaved again, and Olivia sighed sympathetically. Grabbing a washcloth, she wet it with cold water and wrung it out, keeping her eye on Elliot.

"El?" she asked softly, kneeling down beside him. He didn't move from the toilet, so she placed a tender hand on his back, rubbing it slowly.

"El?" she repeated softly, pressing the cool cloth against his warm forehead. Finally he sat up, leaning back against the cool porcelain bathtub. Moving so that she was sitting beside him, Olivia continued to hold the washcloth against his forehead.

"Feel better?" she whispered. He mumbled a reply, and she smiled. To her surprise, he moved closer to her and rested his forehead on her shoulder, sighing contentedly. Olivia hesitantly slipped her arm around his waist, holding him closer against her side.

"El," she said softly after a few minutes of silence. "You need to be laying down." She felt him nod slightly, and she removed her arm from his waist, flinching as her neck cracked when she stood up.

"Come on, Elliot," she insisted, grasping his hand and carefully pulling him into a standing position. He leaned heavily on her, and she smiled inwardly. A year ago, she never would've seen herself taking care of her big, tough, seen it all partner. Now, it seemed almost... natural.

Guiding him back into the bedroom, Olivia watched him carefully as he laid down on the bed, pulling the blankets over himself.

"Good night, partner," she said quietly, turning to walk away. But before she could take a step, Elliot shot his hand out and grabbed hers, preventing her departure.

"Stay with me," he pleaded hoarsely. One look into his fever glazed eyes, and her heart melted.

"Okay, I'll stay," she conceded, squeezing his hand gently. He smiled as she sat beside him on the bed. Olivia grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and pressed it to Elliot's parched lips.

"Thanks, Liv," he rasped, squeezing her hand affectionately. She returned the gesture with a smile, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position.

"You hungry?" she asked quietly. He shook his head, then closed his eyes. Ignoring the voice that told her this was a big no-no, Olivia reached her hand out and caressed his face, frowning at the heat radiating from his forehead.

"Elliot, I need to take your temperature," she stated, standing up. He gave a small nod, and Olivia went into the bathroom. When she reappeared at Elliot's side, thermometer in hand, she saw that he had fallen asleep again. After a moment of contemplation, she carefully opened his mouth, placed the thermometer under his tongue, then shut his mouth again. She watched the numbers climb higher and higher until it hit 103.2.

"God, El. You're burning up," she admonished, pulling the thermometer out of his mouth. As she studied the thermometer, his eyes cracked open, and he smiled weakly.

"Hi," he rasped.

"Hey, stranger. I was just checking your temperature. Why don't you go back to sleep?" she suggested softly, laying a gentle hand on his chest.

"Liv, could you-" he shook his head as if to erase whatever thought he had had. "What, El? What do you need?" she asked, concerned.

"Could you lay down with me?" he asked shyly, extending his hand across the bed and patting it. For a moment, she was shocked. Was Elliot asking her to sleep with him?

_No_, her common sense insisted. _He's sick and he just doesn't wanna be alone_. He saw the hesitation in her eyes, and he quickly spoke.

"I just hate kicking you out of your bed," he explained hurriedly. _We're both adults,_ she thought. _We can sleep in the same bed and not make a big deal about it._

"Never mind," he said.

"No, Elliot," she said quickly. "I'll come lay down with you." He couldn't help but smile as she walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed up. Leaning against the headboard, Olivia crossed her ankles and rested her hands behind her head.

"Liv?"

"Yeah, El?"

"Thanks. For everything," he said drowsily. Olivia felt herself drifting off to sleep.

"That's what partners are for," she said, closing her eyes and giving into her exhaustion.

But before sleep overcame her, she heard him whisper, "Love you, Olivia."

BABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABA

Sharp cries from the other side of the bed pulled Olivia from her dreamless sleep, and she looked at her partner.

He was tossing and turning restlessly, crying out occasionally in his fever ridden sleep. Concerned, Olivia extended her hand out and placed it on his feverish forehead, caressing it slowly.

"It's okay, El," she murmured sleepily. "You're safe. I've got you." She was surprised when he shifted in his sleep and burrowed into her side, and she gasped at the intimate contact. Nervously, she stroked his closely cropped hair.

He shivered, and Olivia cautiously moved closer against him. Then she pulled the quilt over them, snuggling down in the warmth that their combined body heat provided. In his sleep, Elliot slipped an arm over her waist, and she smiled.

_God, I love this man,_ she admitted silently, wrapping one arm around her partner. She heard him sigh contentedly, and she tightened her hold on him as she drifted back off to dream.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

As Elliot awoke from his sleep, he realized that he was snuggled up against Olivia, and he smiled, pulling her close.

"Thanks, Liv," he whispered, and in the dark, Olivia grinned, closing her eyes again.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

The first thing Olivia was aware of as she opened her eyes was the body her arms were wrapped around. Her first thought was _Oh God, what did I do last night?_ Then, as she cleared the cobwebs out of her mind, she remembered who was tucked safely in her arms.

Careful not to wake her partner, Olivia raised her left hand and placed it on Elliot's forehead. His fever's gone. Thank God, she thought, moving her hand from his forehead to rest on his hip.

She pulled him closer against her and buried her face in his neck, inhaling his soothingly familiar scent. He stirred slightly, rolling over in Olivia's arms to face her.

"Hey, Liv," he greeted her, smiling sleepily.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Feeling better?" she asked, surprised at the lack of embarrassment at the situation.

Rubbing his eyes, he said, "A lot better, actually. What did you give me?"

"Nothing," she answered truthfully. A flash of realization darkened Elliot's features, and Olivia panicked. "What's wrong, El?"

"We're in bed, together. We're partners. What happened last night?"

"Nothing. You asked me to lay down with you," she explained patiently.

"I did?"

"Elliot, do you want me to leave?" she asked, moving out of his arms.

He cursed himself mentally and grabbed her hand, saying, "No. Don't go. Please. I was just... I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Olivia laughed and said, "After this weekend, there's nothing you could do that would make me uncomfortable."

"Well, since you feel that way, could you come back here?" he asked, patting the bed. Olivia smiled and scooted back beside Elliot, slipping her arms around him again. "This feels nice," Elliot said, and Olivia grinned.

"Well, it feels nice taking care of you for a change." Suddenly, Elliot pressed his lips to Olivia's, shocking them both.

As he pulled away, he lowered his eyes and said, "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what-" Before he could finish, Olivia kissed him, and she smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Pulling away, she kissed his nose and said, "We've still got the rest of the weekend to ourselves, and I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

Elliot chuckled and scooted closer to Olivia. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes again, and Elliot couldn't help but think as he watched her fall asleep, _It's nice being taken care of once in a while. I'll have to return the favor..._

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Monday morning, Elliot walked into the precinct, humming happily to himself. But when he saw his partner's unoccupied desk, he became worried.

"Cap, where's Olivia?" he shouted.

"Called in sick," Cragen answered, and Elliot pulled out his cell phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Liv? Yeah, I'll be there after work. Okay. Get some sleep, and I'll see you in a few hours."

The End?...

A/N: Okay, what do ya'll think? And I know Elliot's normally not so submissive, but he was sick, the poor baby... Now, please review!


End file.
